Location of things refers to applications, platforms, and services that integrate indoor or outdoor geospatial references. These geospatial references provide a major dimension to critical business functions that are required to effectively empower the Internet of Things. Adding location context to IoT network can transform raw data from satellites, geographic information system (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), social network, smartphones, wearable devices, sensors, Radio-frequency identification (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC), Beacons, Wi-Fi and other devices into “Location of Things”. The location of things consist of mapping & navigation, location based customer engagement & advertising platform, location based social media monitoring, IoT asset management, and IoT location intelligence. The scope of location of things applications refers to both advanced indoor and outdoor location services

Vendor DIVE provides information about the major vendors of location of things solutions and outlines the findings and analysis on how well each market vendor performs within our criteria. The vendor evaluations are based on two broad categories — Product Offering and Business Strategy. Each category carries various criteria, based on which the vendors will be evaluated. The evaluation criteria considered under product offering include the breadth of offering, delivery (on the basis of industries that the vendors cater to, deployment models and subscriptions) and support (on the basis of pre and post-sale support services). The evaluation criteria considered under business strategy include reach (on the basis of geographic presence), industry coverage (on the basis of end users that the vendors cater to) and inorganic growth (on the basis of partnerships, collaborations, and acquisitions).

Bosch Software Innovations GmBH, ESRI, Google, Inc. (Alphabet, Inc.), IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. are some of the leading players operating in the location of things market and are recognized as Visionary Leaders. They have a strong portfolio of services and solutions, offering location of things solutions and associated services. These vendors have been marking their presence in the location of things arena by offering highly customized and easily deployable software for the commercial clients, coupled with their robust business strategy to achieve continued growth in the location of things market.

Pitney Bowes and Tibco software, Inc. are recognized as Dynamic in the location of things market. They have an innovative portfolio of solutions and services and also have an extensive network of channel partners and resellers to increase the deployment of their services across a multitude of vertical markets. Over the years, the dynamic vendors have been consistently generating positive revenue growth in the location of things market, and their market position is fueled by the organic and inorganic ventures undertaken by them during the period.

HERE, Navigine, Ubisense Group Plc., and Wireless Logic are recognized as Innovators in the location of things market. They have an innovative portfolio of Location of Things services and a strong potential to build strong business strategies for their business growth to be at par with the Vanguards. These vendors have been consistently providing their customers with innovative Location of Things offerings for their customized demands. Innovators have been forefront in deploying their solutions for niche and custom requests by client requiring processing of high performance workloads.

Awarepoint Corporation, Geofeedia, GoBabl, Telogis, and Zebra Technologies are recognized as the emerging players in the location of things market. The emerging players specialize in offering highly niche and tailor-made solutions and services to their clients. The majority of the emerging vendors have been undertaking multiple acquisitions and increasing their sales capabilities across regions to offer their integrated services to a wide range of clients.